1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to batteries, and in particular, to button style batteries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Batteries are employed as electrical sources for use in portable devices that utilize electricity to function. As such, there is often strong motivation to make batteries as small as possible while still providing the necessary high current density. Li/ion batteries, for example, are ideally suited for this application as they are capable of a high current density while providing exemplary small form factors including Mutton style, coin style, and disk style batteries. These batteries can be extremely useful because of their ability to provide a current source without taking up much space and being quite light. As a consequence, these batteries allow for smaller and lighter devices to be created which can provide considerable utility to a user.
Such batteries are often used in devices where size and weight is important. For example, batteries having one of these small form factors are often used in such devices as watches, calculators, or even musical gift cards where a larger battery may defeat the purpose or utility of such a device. In addition, these batteries are often used as reserve power for numerous larger devices. For example, button, coin, or disk style batteries are often used in computers to maintain an internal clock or BIOS memory in the case of loss of power or unplugging of the computer from an outside power source. Because of their general utility, these small form factor batteries have become ubiquitous.